Dough measuring and lump forming machine



.Feb.l5, 1944. M. F. WEIDA' 2,342,093

DOUGH MEASURING AND LUMP FORMING MA CHINE Original Filed May 1, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 2] 1247 -4 I I I I INVENTOR W I M/LLARp [gt-(o4 I 98.99v BYATTORNE Y5 Patented Feb. 15, 1944 '1' OFFICE DOUGH MEASURING AND LUMPFORMING MACHINE Millard F. Weida, Canton, Ohio, assignorto The CurthaltCompany, Canton,

tion of Ohio Ohio, 2. corpora- Original application May 1, 1940, SerialNo.

332,796. Divided and this 1'5, 1941, Serial No. 406,991

2 Claims.

This invention relates to machines designed for accurately measuringlumps of dough and is primarily intended and adapted" for use inconnection with pretzel forming machines such as shown in United StatesPatent No. 2,107,749, dated February 8', 1938, to Curtis, .or shown inthe copending application to this applicant, Serial No. 332,796, filedMay 1, 1940, now Patent No. 2,295,246, issued September 8, 1942.

In machines for the purposes set forth, it is essential to efiicient andrapid operations that the dough lumps from which the dough stick isformed be of uniform size, as slight variations in the amount of doughto be handled in the pretzel forming mechanism will interfere with itsoperation. It isalso essential that the waste be reduced to the minimumin order to operate more efficiently. The mechanism shown and describedherein will form lumps of uniform volume so that the length and diameterof the sticks which are rolled therefrom and pass into the pretzeltyingunit arealways the same.

While the new invention has been directed to the particular use setforth, it may also be employed for any other uses in which accurateand'uniform lumps of dough or other plastic material may be employed. 1

The best known and preferred form of the invention is shown anddescribed herein, but it will be understood that changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the essentials of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

This application is a division of my prior application Serial No.332,796, above identified' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the dough lump or gob formingmechanism showing the means by which the accurately measured lumps ofdough are formed. Thisview also showsthe ends of the belts which rollthe gobs into the sticks which are subsequently delivered to the pretzeltying unit or head, not shown in this application.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the means for adjusting the rails which guide thedough lump to the rolling belts- Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 ofFig. 1 showing the adjustable gate, or valve by which the amount ofdough in each lump is regulated, thereby controlling the stickdimensions.

The dough working and lump measuring and forming mechanism is a unit ofa single comapplication August posite machine shown in the parentapplication referred to above, and reference is made to such applicationfor a more complete disclosure of the entire device, it being suflicientfor the purpose of the present application to state that after the doughlump is cut from the end of the stream as it flows from the unit shownherein, it passes between two rolling belts which transform it to stickform and thence to the tying unit. 'Mechanism is provided which willpermit the lump forming device to be adjusted while the" entireorganization is in operation, thus facilitating the entire operation.

The numeral 5 represents the bed plate of the entire machine on which islocated a.pedes ta] l5 tov the upperend of which is secured a castingl6, the upper portion of which is formed as a hopper l7 from'one side ofwhich extends the barrel I8 in which is located the dough mix: ing andfeeding worm I9 which forces the dough from the hopper toward thedischarge end of the barrel. It will benoted that the pitch of the wormis reduced toward its discharge end so that the dough is compacted atthe discharge point. The opposite end of the worm projects through thecasting and is provided with a gear 20 meshing with pinion 2| fixed tointermediate gear 22 which, in turn,'is drivenby a pinion 25 on thecountershaft' 25. 'To this shaft is secured the sprocket pinion 25 whichis driven by the provided with a centrally located port 39. This baffle38 is not'the outer wall of the extrudingv machine,but is spaced a shortdistance therefrom to provide a narrow pressure chamber to, the oppositewall of which is formed by a flanged cap 42 in which the discharge port43 is located. This cap is clamped onithe outside of the extrudingmachine by the swinging screwthreaded clamps M which hold the cap andplate 38 in position, but permit removal for cleaning. Because of therelatively narrow width of the chamber 43, the surface area thereof isrelatively large as compared to its volumetric capacity, with the resultthat there is substantial frictional resistance to the passage of doughthrough said chamber. A knife 45, to be described indetail, moves overthe outer surface of the cap and cuts off the individual lumps of doughat the proper timed intervals, one of said lumps being shown in dottedlines in Fig. 2.

The objection to prior dough-lump forming dough has tended to bedischarged from the forcing machine head irregularly and in spurts orpulsations. This has resulted in the formation of non-uniform lumps.

This arrangement shown herein has overcome that diflioulty and in itsoperation delivers a steady stream of uniform size and weight. It

will be observed that the discharge opening 43 is not in alignment withthe opening 39 in the nism, it is possible to secure the efiicient andaccurate operation of the entire organization.

The gob of dough cut off by the knife 45 falls into a delivery trough 90secured to a shaft 9| pivotedin abracket 92 carried on an arm 93extending from the under side of the casting I'I. Mounted on pivots 81below the arm 93 are two guiding rails 95 which are pivotally adjustableso as to direct the gob to the exact center line baffle 38 so that doughmoving from one opening to the other must traverse a sharply angular'course that supplements the frictional resistance aforementioned inopposing the free flow of the dough, with the result that the chamber 40operates as a sort of accumulator or pressure chamber in which the doughis compacted by the force of the feed screw. This intermediate ofanteoham'ber in the head of the'dough-extruding machine eliminates allof the pulsations and irregularities in the dough movement and maintainsa uniform pressure back of the dis charge opening 43, so that the streamof dough as it issues therefrom is constant in speed and volume. As theknife 45 is operated at exact timed intervals, each gob or lump isexactly like every other gob and consequently the sticks delivered tothe tying unit are identical in weight, length and diameter.

Inorder to vary the size of the gob, an adjustable gate 48 is locatedbetween the plate 38 and the cap 42 being fixed to a pin 49 rotatable inthe plate and held in position by the nut 59 and washer The amount ofdough which passes into the pressure chamber 40, and consequently thesize of the lumps for fixed cutting intervals, is determined by the areaof the opening 39 which is exposed by the gate 48. This determines thelength of a pretzel stick of a given diameter.

The means for operating the knife 45 will now be described. This knifemoves over and against the face of thecap 42 and is pivoted at 55 to aknife slide 56 guided for vertical movement on the cap. The knife isformed with an angular extension shown in Fig. 1 and a coil spring 58 isseated in the face of the knife slide and presses the cutting edge ofthe knife against the face of the cap so as to make a clean out acrossthe discharge opening 43.

The knife is actuated to make a quick cutting stroke and return by asolenoid 69 mounted in a solenoid housing 6! secured to a bracket 62mounted on the casting H3. The slide 56 has an extension which passesinto the solenoid and is provided with a pin 63 connected by the coilspring 64 with the housing. When the solenoid is energized, the slide 56is moved downwardly, passing the knife over the discharge opening 43 andis immediately returned by the spring.

The solenoid is momentarily energized by a switch contained in a box 66,the actuating pin 61 of which is yieldingly pressed upwardly against thehorizontal arm of a pivoted lever 63, the other end of which bearsagainst a timer disk Ill.

The disk is the means by which the operaof the lower rolling belt. Toadjust the rails, set screws 88 are threaded in lugs 88 and bear againstthe rear ends of the rails, a light coil spring 89 holding the railsagainst the set screws. It is advisable to have means by which the gobof dough may at times be diverted from the rolling belts, and'forthis'purpose-thetrough can be thrown backwardly so that the gobs'fallbehind the rolling belts. To do this, the shaft 9| is fixed to a coilspring 96 which is, in turn, fixed to a rotating operating rod 91, thefar; end of which is located in a recess in the frame. An arm 98 issecured to the rod and connected to a second rod 99 which extends to thefront of the machine, being guided in a tube Bil -secured to the frame.I Y

The rod 99 is carried to a convenient point, preferably nearjthe pretzeltying mechanism, where it can be manipulated by the operator in theevent any mishap occurs in the operation which would make itnecessary toraise the trough and discharge the gobs of dough directly therefrom. er

The dough stick rolling belts may be of any desired form or design, but,as shown {here, consist of a 'lower' belt I05, to which the dough lumpsare delivered, and an upper belt I06. The lower belt is'extended at itsupper end to a point below the trough to receive the gob of dough. For amore complete description of the rolling belts, attention is directed tothe parent application.

The operation of the dough lump or go forming mechanism is automatic andas long as the hopper is filled with dough uniform lumps will bedelivered at exact timed intervals to the rolling belts.

What is claimed is: 1. A machine for measuring and forming lumps ofdough of uniform size comprising a hopper, a continuously rotated screwwithin the hopper, a discharge port in the closed end of the hoppertoward which the dough is fed by the screw, means for eliminatingpulsations in the stream of dough delivered by the screw comprising abaffle plate located in the hopperbetween the end of the screw and thedischargeport, said baffle plate having a restricted opening out ofregister with the discharge port, the space between the baffle plate andthe end of the hopper constituting an accumulator chamber in which thedough is retained under pressure and by which a constant pressure ismaintained on the dough at the discharge port, and a cutter movable atregular intervals across the discharge por 2. A machine for measuringand forming lumps of dough of uniform size comprising a hopper, acontinuously rotated screw within the hopper, a discharge port in theclosed end of the hopper toward which the dough is fed by the screw,means for eliminating pulsations in the stream of dough delivered by thescrew comprising a baflle plate located in the hopper between the end ofthe screw and the discharge port, said baffle plate having a restrictedopening out of register with the discharge port, means to adjust thearea of the opening in the baffle plate, the space between the baffleplate and the end of the hopper constituting an accumulator chamber inwhich the dough is retained under pressure and by which a constantpressure is maintained on the dough at the discharge port, and a cuttermovable at regular intervals across the discharge port.

MILLARD F. WEIDA.

